Proposed graffiti ordinance seeks harsher punishment for vandalism

A mural painted on the side of a building on Willow Street in West Oakland.

This month, the city council’s Public Works Committee will consider a new graffiti ordinance, which aims to bolster Oakland’s current vandalism laws by inflicting harsher penalties on offenders and offering support for property owners frequently targeted by graffiti writers. The “Graffiti Enforcement Program” proposed by City Attorney Barbara Parker and District 3 representative Nancy Nadel, would enhance a section of the city’s municipal code which presently only addresses graffiti abatement procedures and prohibits the sale and possession of pressurized paint cans and markers to minors.

If passed, the ordinance would provide more comprehensive regulations. Violations would go from being infractions to misdemeanors, which carry increased penalties. Parents of an underage offender could be held liable for property damages. Fines paid to the city from offenders would be used to reimburse the owners of properties that are repeatedly vandalized. The ordinance would give property owners ten days to remove graffiti from their premises.